


What We Have in Common

by HooleQuinn



Category: Captain America (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man (Tom Holland Movies), The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Everybody Lives, Gen, Not Avengers: Endgame (Movie) Compliant, Not Captain America: Civil War (Movie) Compliant, Peter Parker & Steve Rogers Friendship, Sensory Overload, Steve Rogers & Tony Stark Friendship, Steve Rogers Is a Good Bro, Tony Stark Acting as Peter Parker's Parental Figure
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-02
Updated: 2020-05-16
Packaged: 2021-03-02 07:46:51
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 5,110
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23967850
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HooleQuinn/pseuds/HooleQuinn
Summary: “Tony always hates it when someone takes a hit, or almost takes a hit, that was meant for him. God knows I’ve been on the receiving end of that argument more times than I can count. But when it’s you? That’s a whole different level."-or-Steve Rogers & Peter Parker discover what they have in common. Friendship, as told through a series of conversations.
Relationships: Peter Parker & Steve Rogers, Peter Parker & Steve Rogers & Tony Stark, Peter Parker & Tony Stark, Steve Rogers & Tony Stark
Comments: 35
Kudos: 216





	1. Chapter 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> While helping Peter with his homework, both Steve & Peter compare their "origins"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was thinking a little while ago of some of the things Peter & Steve have in common, and about the fact that we were robbed of any meaningful interaction between these two, and boom! I decided to write this.

“…And then I was really sick for like, 3 days after that.”

Peter Parker wasn’t sure how they had gotten on this topic. One minute he was sharing a couch in the common area of the Avengers Compound with _the_ Captain America, while said Captain helped him with an essay on the Great Depression, and the next minute Peter was regaling him with his “origin” story.

Captain Rogers, or _Steve,_ Peter’s mind supplied, now had a sympathetic look on his face. “That must’ve been scary for you. Did you have any idea what was going on?”

“Not at first, although I was kinda concentrating on trying not to die.” Peter then added somewhat sheepishly, “And also trying to keep the worst of it from May and Ben”

“Why didn’t you want them to know?” Steve asked, sounding genuinely curious without being judgmental.

“Because I didn’t want them to freak out, that would have only made things worse. They did know I was sick, but at the time I was able to make them believe it was just a really bad flu.”

Steve looked concerned. “So, you basically went through it without anyone being able to really help you?”

Peter was momentarily taken aback by that. “I never thought about it that way, but I guess I did, more or less.”

“Wow,” Steve replied, and Peter almost didn’t believe it, but the older man seemed impressed. It wasn’t the first time this happened but the fact that he could impress Captain America still floored him. Steve continued, “I at least had scientists and government officials to keep me company. Well, that, and undercover Hydra agents.”

Feeling bold, Peter decided to ask further about Steve’s own experience. “So, did it hurt when you, uh…” He gestured toward Steve, not sure how to word the rest of the question.

Luckily, Steve knew what he meant. “When I got the serum, you mean?”

Peter nodded. “If it’s not like, a personal question or something.”

“No, it’s not personal”, Steve responded. “Yeah, it was terribly painful. I only got a short briefing about what the serum would do, and I’m honestly not sure if even Erskine was certain of what would happen.” Steve paused. “You know who Erskine is, right?”

“Oh yeah!” Peter said enthusiastically, “There’s a picture of him in our history book. There’s a couple of you, too. Kinda like a before and after, you know?”

Steve blinked at him. “I will never get used to that.”

Peter grinned. “Well, if it makes you feel any better, there’s a picture of Dr. Banner in our chem lab.”

Steve shook his head in mild frustration, “You’d think it would, but it really doesn’t. Anyway,” He continued, getting the conversation back on track, “I didn’t really know fully what to expect. But it was more painful than anything I had experienced before, and that’s saying something, considering the number of street fights I’d gotten into. At one point, they wanted to shut the procedure down, but I convinced them that I could take it.”

“Did it feel weird after?” It was weeks before Peter got used to not having to wear glasses or use an inhaler.

“Super weird,” Steve replied in understanding. “I mean, at first, I didn’t have much time to think about it, since I immediately had to chase down a Hydra agent, but the first chance I had a minute to think? Oh yeah. I remember looking down at myself and just staring at my hands. All of a sudden, I had gained all this height, weight, muscle mass, you name it. It was a lot to get used to.”

Peter looked thoughtful. “I don’t know what I would have done if the spider bite changed me that much on the outside. It was hard enough trying to explain to May and Ben that I didn’t need glasses anymore.”

“You are lucky in that respect because it wasn’t all fun and games. I had to get all new uniforms for one thing.” Steve said with a grin. “And my metabolism is so fast it took forever for our med team here to find pain killers that I wouldn’t immediately burn through.”

“Me too!” Peter chimed in excitedly. “At first they used to give me what they would use for you. Plus, now I can’t eat peppermint anymore. Or thermoregulate, which really sucks in the winter. My body just wants to hibernate.” He paused and looked at Steve with a grin, “I also heard from a reliable source that you can’t get drunk.”

Steve looked a little uncomfortable. “Dang it, Tony,” He said under his breath. “That’s true, I can’t, but I wouldn’t want you testing that theory on yourself. After all, I can still eat a candy cane whenever I want.”

“Oh don’t worry, Captain Rogers, I wasn’t planning on it” Peter assured him.

Steve nodded in approval. “You know, I just realized that this is the most that I’ve talked about this in a while. But it’s kind of nice to talk about it with someone who’s had a similar experience.”

“Yeah, same.” Peter agreed. “Thanks for listening to me ramble.”

“It’s no problem, Peter. Now, you wanted to know more about how the Great Depression was for me?”

“Oh! Yeah…”


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Peter ends up flipping Steve while sparring and various comparisons are made.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to everyone who's bookmarked this, reviewed this, and left kudos! It's much appreciated! Sorry this one's a little short, but hopefully it'll still be good :)

Steve landed on his back on the mat with a grunt. Above him, he saw Peter’s worried face.

“Oh my God, Captain Rogers, I’m sorry! Are you ok??”

Steve huffed out a laugh. “I’m fine, Peter,” He said as he got up. He and Peter had been sparring in the gym at the Compound. Tony had brought it up, and the other Avengers had agreed, that while Peter was capable, it wouldn’t hurt to have him hone his skills with the team. Peter himself had been at the same time excited and a little intimidated at the prospect. “See? No harm done,” Steve briefly put his hand on Peter’s shoulder. “Nice job, by the way. You’re improving. I think that’s the first time you’ve ever flipped me.”

Peter started to blush at the praise, but still looked worried. “Thanks, Captain Rogers, but are you sure you’re ok? I don’t often use that much of my strength. Maybe we should get Dr. Banner to look you over or something.”

“Relax, Queens,” Steve replied. “Don’t forget I’m one of the few who can go toe-to-toe with you, strength-wise. Although I think one day, you’ll probably be stronger than I am. If you aren’t already, that is.”

Peter briefly perked up at the praise, then sobered. “You think so? I don’t know if that would be good or bad. I have a hard enough time keeping the strength I have now in check. The last thing I want to do is accidentally hurt someone.”

Steve understood that fear, despite his proclivity for Natasha called ‘punching his way out of situations’. “I can help you get a handle on that. It does take practice and even I’m not perfect. I’ve been known to still crush a doorknob or put a dent in a wall because I wasn’t thinking. You never know though when you’re going to need your full strength to get out of a situation.”

Peter looked thoughtful. “I already have. I once lifted part of a collapsed building off my back.”

Steve let out a low whistle. “Impressive. I stopped a helicopter from taking off with my bare hands.”

At that, the conversation devolved into a friendly competition between the two of them to see who could one-up the other.

“I stopped an elevator that was in free-fall.”

“I chased down a getaway car on foot.”

“I caught a speeding mini-van and stopped it from running into a bus.”

Steve laughed and shook his head. “We’d better watch it, or the rest of the team is gonna have us performing Feats of Strength for Festivus.”

Peter’s jaw dropped. “You know about Festivus??”

Steve grinned. It was always amusing during those rare times when he could ‘impress’ someone with his knowledge of pop culture references. “Yeah, Tony made me watch that episode the first Christmas season after we met. Said it was an important part of being up to date on modern holiday traditions. I’ll be honest though, that’s the only episode of the show I’ve seen.”

“You should watch it; it was pretty good for an old show. May and Ben would sometimes watch the re-runs of it.”

“I’ll add it to the list.” Steve said before reverting back to the original topic. He and Peter seemed to have a knack for going off on tangents whenever they talked. “Seriously though, we can work on feeling more confident about knowing when to use that muscle.”

“Well, I mean, you don’t have to go through all that trouble. I know you’re probably busy with Avengers things…”

“It’s no trouble,” Steve replied earnestly. He had a feeling Peter didn’t want to feel like a burden. “Tony trusted us with making sure you have all the best strategies at your disposal. Not that you haven’t been able to handle yourself, but we all want to make sure you’re as safe as possible out there.”

“Does that mean you’ll let me use your shield?” 

“Only for training purposes." Steve replied, grinning. "And on one condition. Will I get to try your webshooters?”

Peter smirked. “Only for training purposes.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I thought of Feats of Strength and couldn't resist ;) If anyone's wondering why Steve wasn't as concerned about the collapsed building as Tony would have been, it's because for the purposes of this, Steve's not aware of all that went down with the Vulture. Therefore he doesn't know all of what Peter went through, he doesn't know that Peter didn't have his suit. This is still kinda early on in their friendship.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Steve & Peter realize the drawbacks to having enhanced abilities

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to everyone for the kudos and the kind comments! I'm glad you all are liking it.

“Hey every-oh.”

Peter abruptly cut off his greeting when he entered the common area of the Compound, as there seemed to be no one there. Not only that, it seemed as though no one was coming back for a while. Even though it was mid-afternoon, the curtains were drawn and the lights were out. Nothing was on, not the TV, not even the coffee maker. The space was quiet except for the sound of breathing and a single heartbeat. Wanting to find out what was going on, Peter moved further into the space, trying to keep as quiet as possible. He found Steve stretched out on the couch, possibly asleep. Even in the dim light Peter could tell he had noise-cancelling headphones on and what appeared to be a sleeping mask over his eyes. Either Captain Rogers was taking a very hard-core afternoon nap or…a sensory overload? Could he even get those? Apparently he must to some extent. Peter didn’t want to further risk disturbing him, so he climbed up the nearest wall to the ceiling, assuming that would be potentially less disruptive than footsteps on the floor. He crawled across the ceiling and out of the area in search of Mr. Stark. Peter had a feeling he would know what was going on.

* * *

Later that evening, Peter returned to the common area in search of sustenance, after spending several hours with Mr. Stark in his workshop. As it turned out, Peter's suspicions had been correct. Steve did have a sensory overload. Luckily Mr. Stark was there and had done his best to make sure Steve was as comfortable as possible, with FRIDAY monitoring his vitals. Now things appeared to have returned to normal. Steve was in the kitchen, his attention on something he was cooking over the stove. He also had something else heating up in the microwave.

“Hey, Captain Rogers,” Peter greeted as he came in.

“Hey there, Queens,” Steve responded as he looked up. “I must have missed you coming in. Been hiding out in the workshop with Tony, I take it?”

Peter wasn’t sure how to answer that question. He could just answer yes, as technically that wasn’t even a lie. Should he let on that he knew? Should he tell Steve that he accidentally walked in on him? Steve probably didn’t want anyone making a fuss, so Peter decided not to mention it unless Steve himself did.

“Yeah, we were working on upgrades to my suit. Well, both our suits actually. I was coming up since FRIDAY let us know you-“ He stopped mid-sentence as he realized he had spoken without thinking. _Nice job, Peter._ He thought to himself. _Now he’ll know you know._

Yep, Peter could tell the minute Steve had figured it out. “I take it Tony told you what happened?”

Might as well come clean. If there was one thing Steve appreciated, it was full disclosure. “That and…I may or may not have walked in on you while you were…you know.” Steve raised his eyebrows in surprise and Peter tried to salvage the situation. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to embarrass you or anything! I didn’t realize what was going on until it was too late, and then I left right away so I didn’t disturb you. I’m glad you’re feeling better though and we can probably just forget about this whole thing-“

“Hey, hey, calm down,” Steve said as he interrupted Peter’s rambling. “You didn’t do anything wrong. And thanks, I am. Sorry you had to walk in on that, that must’ve been a surprise.”

Peter calmed himself as Steve didn’t seem annoyed or even embarrassed. “It was a little weird. For a second, I thought you all had left." He paused, thinking of his own experiences. "I’ve had that happen a few times too. The spider bite dialed my senses up to 11, but sometimes it feels more like 20. The first time it happened in front of Mr. Stark, he knew what to do then too.”

“Probably because he recognized similar behaviors from when it’s happened to me.”

“I didn’t even know you could get them.”

“A drawback to having heightened senses, I guess.” Steve replied. “It’s rare, but I do get them on occasion. And earlier today was one of those occasions.”

“One time I got an overload so intense it was hard to breathe.”

“Because if you breathed through your nose you smelled everything around you and if you breathed through your mouth it felt like you tasted everything that was in the air?”

Peter nodded in understanding. “Yeah! You’ve had that too?”

Steve held up his index finger. “Once. Bruce had to be brought in for that one.”

Peter decided to let Steve in on one of his ‘trade secrets’. “You know, I don’t just wear a mask to protect my identity. I also do it because it tones things down enough for me to focus.”

Steve nodded in approval. “That was a smart move. You want to minimize distractions as much as possible during a fight. You also have some kind of 6th sense that helps you out too, don’t you?”

Peter smiled. “Yeah, it warns me of danger so I can avoid it. You know, like, dodging bullets and stuff.”

“I can think of a few instances where that would have come in handy.”

“Well it’s not totally foolproof. Sometimes I don’t respond fast enough, or sometimes I’ll feel it, but I won’t know what it’s warning me about until it’s too late.”

At that, the microwave sounded, alerting Steve that what he had been heating up was done. “You hungry? I can make more if you want some,” He said, gesturing to the stove. “And maybe we should take some down to Tony, too?”

“Oh yeah! That’s why I came up here in the first place! A little while ago FRIDAY said you were feeling better, and we realized we hadn’t eaten yet, so he sent me up here to ‘forage for food’.”

Steve laughed. “Well in that case we should hurry up, he’s probably wondering where you went.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I admit I wasn't 100% sure about this one. Can Steve get a sensory overload? I'm not sure, as I've only read one or two stories where he has one, but I wanted to show a little vulnerability with him.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Steve talks to Peter after he and Tony have an argument

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the chapter that's teased about in the summary! This one's a little out of the box but I wanted to do something a little less obvious, as well as bring in the IronDad element from Steve's perspective.

“I just wish he would trust me out there, you know? I wasn’t doing anything reckless! I couldn’t let something happen to him if I could do something about it! Why can’t he understand that?”

Somewhat reluctantly, Tony had allowed Peter to come along when the Avengers were called to take care of the latest threat. To Peter’s credit, for the most part he did as he was directed, securing the perimeter and getting civilians out of the way. It wasn’t until he saw that Iron Man was unknowingly in the line of fire that he got more involved. Spider-man swung close and pushed Iron Man out of the way just in time, almost getting hit by an energy beam himself. While grateful neither one of them was hurt, Tony didn’t take too kindly to Peter putting himself in harm’s way on his account. On the Quinjet on the way back to the Compound, Tony and Peter exchanged some choice words, resulting in the two of them storming off to their respective spaces once they returned. Tony retreated to his workshop and Peter presumably went off to his room.

Steve had tried going to talk to Tony, but the engineer had put his workshop on lockdown. Nothing short of a life-threatening emergency was going to get him to open it up right now. So, Steve went to go find Peter, hoping he would have better luck with him. It was how he now found himself sitting next to the kid on his bed.

“It’s not that he doesn’t trust you,” Steve replied. “If he didn’t, I don’t think he’d support you going around as Spider-man the way he does. But things like what happened earlier scare him. And I’ve come to realize he often masks that fear by lashing out.”

“But nothing did happen!”, Peter argued, “We won, and everyone is fine!”

“You’re right, pretty much everything worked in our favor,” Steve explained, “This time. But Tony’s always thinking ahead, to the next time, and the time after that. He’s thinking about all the possible what-if scenarios. He feels like he’s thrown off if he hasn’t thought of how to handle every contingency. And he doesn’t have a plan if something serious were to happen to you.”

“Sounds kinda similar to something he said to me once before,” Peter said, calming down as he seemed to be remembering some past incident that Steve had not been privy to. “But he doesn’t have to feel responsible for everything that happens to me.”

Steve was aware that Tony had larger issues with guilt and responsibility, but he also knew that when it came to Peter, it was more than simply holding himself accountable. “Tony always hates it when someone takes a hit, or almost takes a hit, that was meant for him. God knows I’ve been on the receiving end of that argument more times than I can count. But when it’s you? That’s a whole different level. You may already be aware of this, but he cares about you very much. He sees you as family.” Not that long ago, Tony had let it slip to Steve exactly how he saw Peter. However, Steve avoided specifically using the L- or S-word with the kid. If Tony hadn’t yet told Peter that he loved him like a son, Steve didn’t think it was his place to say it. That was a discussion for the two of them.

“‘Sometimes people care too much. I think it’s called love’”, Peter quoted, not quite looking at Steve, his growing slightly wider as if he were just now realizing something. “Sorry, that made me think of a line from an old cartoon I used to watch when I was little.”

Steve smirked at him. “Believe it or not, I got that reference. It’s actually from a children’s book that came out when I was a kid. I think it describes your situation perfectly.”

“I dunno, I said some things to him that now I’m not too proud of,” Peter said dejectedly. “Mr. Stark probably hates me now.”

“You both said some things,” Steve admitted. “He and I have had our fair share of arguments, going all the way back to the day we met. But so far, we’ve managed to work things out. I don’t think there’s anything you could do that would make him hate you.”

Peter sighed. “I care about him a lot too. Almost like a, well, like a father-figure, I guess?” Peter’s expression momentarily turned bitter. “And it seems like I tend to lose them. Fathers and father-figures, I mean. So, I’d rather not lose another one, you know?” Peter sighed. “I don’t know if that makes any sense.”

“I think it definitely makes sense,” Steve replied sympathetically, “Family goes beyond your blood relations, after all.”

Peter looked wistful. “Technically May isn’t even related to me. So, I guess you could say my family is already like that.”

Steve grew thoughtful for a minute. “For a long time growing up, it was just me and my Ma. I met Bucky while we were still kids. He became my best friend, and eventually he was more like a brother. He did his best to look out for me, pulling me out of street fights, setting me up with dates, offering to let me stay with him after my Ma-,” Steve’s voice caught briefly, “well, after I found myself on my own. Before I was Captain America, he was one of the few who saw past my physical appearance. And after I became Captain America, he was one of the few who still saw me as Steve Rogers. I know he and I still see each other as family, even after everything that’s happened.”

Peter was quiet as he thought about what Steve said and after a minute Steve continued. “A found family can be just as meaningful as one you were born into, sometimes more, because you _chose_ each other.”

Peter looked away as he spoke. “That makes sense now that I think about it. I guess I should go talk to Mr. Stark, huh? If he’ll even want to see me, that is.”

Steve had a knowing look in his eye. “Well he did have the workshop on lockdown, but I have a feeling he’ll make an exception when FRIDAY tells him it’s you at the door.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> While I'm a big Stony shipper, for the purposes of this I kept them as close friends. Close enough that Tony would still feel comfortable sharing his personal thoughts with Steve.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After the events of Endgame, Steve provides some insight for Peter & his current situation.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here we are at the end! Thank you to everyone who commented, bookmarked, and left kudos! 
> 
> Not gonna lie, the subject of this chapter was the main reason I wanted to write this in the first place.

“Hey there, Queens.”

Peter turned around.

“Oh hey, Captain Rogers,” he said without enthusiasm.

It was a few months after the Reversal of the Snap and the final battle with Thanos, and Tony had invited everyone up to his lake house. It was almost like a family reunion of sorts, as most of them hadn’t seen much of each other since then. At one point Steve noticed Peter sitting off by himself at the end of the dock by the lake. He didn’t appear to be doing anything besides staring out over the water. Steve went down to the end of the dock to find out if there was something troubling him.

“Mind if I join you?” Steve asked. Peter just shrugged, not really caring what Steve did. Seeing as how Peter didn’t out right tell him to leave, Steve took that as a positive sign and lowered himself down next to Peter. “What are you doing over here by yourself?” He did his best to keep his tone light, so as not to cause any undue tension.

“Just…thinking, I guess,” was the quiet response.

“About what? If you feel like you want to tell me that is.” Personal discussions with Peter were usually Tony’s realm, so Steve didn’t want the kid to feel pressured to open up.

Peter opened his mouth to start to say something, then gave a deep sigh. “I don’t even know if I should be complaining to you about it. I mean, five years is nothing compared to almost seventy, right?”

Ah, so that was it.

“The amount of time doesn’t make what you’re going through or your feelings about it any less valid,” Steve said as he tried to reassure him. “Five years is still going to be hard to adjust to. A lot can happen in five years.”

Peter snorted derisively. “Yeah, tell me about it. Mr. Stark’s moved out here, he’s got his own family to worry about, May’s with Happy, half of my old high school class is now in college, and I barely know anyone from the ‘new’ half. I guess…I guess I don’t know where I fit in anymore.”

Steve was all too familiar with that feeling. “When I first came out of the ice I felt detached, like I was an outsider just observing everyone else.”

Peter nodded. “It’s not even just that, but it’s like everybody moved on and left me behind. It’s not like I wanted everybody to stay miserable!” Peter added quickly, “It’s just…” He sighed again in frustration, not being able to find the words to explain.

“You wonder if they moved on so much that they don’t need you anymore.”

“Yeah,” Peter agreed as his eyes grew wide with realization.

Steve nodded in understanding and thought for a minute. He wanted to make sure his response made sense. “You know how we ended up time traveling to get the stones back, right?” Peter nodded. “Well, while Tony and I were in the past, I came across someone I had been close to before I went in the ice. She had gotten married, had a family. But I found she still kept a picture of me on her desk. She moved on, but she never forgot.”

“Was that Agent Carter?”

Steve smiled wistfully. “It was.” Steve didn’t want to admit how tempted he had been to stay in the past with her after he put the Infinity Stones back in their proper places. “When I got out of the ice, nearly everyone I knew from that time was either dead or very old. My friends, my colleagues, all of them, lived out the rest of their lives without me. That was an awful realization to come to, and I wouldn’t wish that on anybody. I was…pretty lonely for a long time. But, it was all history by the time I found out about it. You? You’ll have face the changes in your personal life head on. It may be a learning process to find ways to adjust. But you have something I didn’t. You have the opportunity to be part of their lives again.”

“That’s even if I have a part in their lives again,” Peter said, still sounding unsure. Steve could sympathize. He had no idea how he would have handled it if he had been found five years after he went in the ice and had to face Peggy being married to someone else. And who knows if he ever would have found out what had happened to Bucky?

“I would bet you my entire Army back pay that you do,” Steve said with a knowing smile.

“How did you deal with it?”

“I’m not gonna sugar-coat it, it was rough. I tried to take things in, but it was so much to absorb all at once. At the beginning I spent a lot of time hanging out in the gym, destroying all of SHIELD’s punching bags. The whole fight with Loki and the formation of the Avengers kind of forced me back into the world in a way. It also let me know I still had a purpose. That I wasn’t just some leftover antique that you took out and dusted off for special occasions.” Steve paused. “I also took a lot of comfort in the things that hadn’t changed, no matter how small.”

Peter considered that for a moment. “Well, I’m still Spider-man, that hasn’t changed. And Ned and MJ got snapped too, so I didn’t miss anything with them.”

“That’s two big things right there.” Steve said encouragingly.

“I think I get how you must have felt not knowing about any current stuff," Peter said, slightly changing the subject. "You know I missed two Star Wars movies? And that Mandalorian series?”

Steve had to laugh. “Catching up on all the pop culture? Now that is going to be an exercise in prioritization! You remember how I had a list?”

“Yeah, how long did it take you to get through it?”

“I’ll let you know when I do.” Steve laughed again at Peter’s shocked expression. “It seemed like whenever I was able to cross something off, two more things would get added. Eventually I stopped adding everything I was told about and only checked out the things I thought would interest me.” Steve grinned, knowing the irony of what he was about to say. “That Mandalorian series by the way? You should put that on your list.”

“What?? Oh my god, now Captain America’s seen more Star Wars than I have.”

“In my defense, I mainly watched it because two of the characters reminded me of people I knew. The good news is you should be able to watch through it in a weekend or two.” Steve grew serious again as he realized how surreal this whole situation was. Until now only Bucky came close to having a similar experience as him, but now half the world was in the same boat. “Have you mentioned any of this to your aunt or Tony?”

Peter’s face fell. “Well, no. I just don’t want to make this any harder for them than it already is. I mean, I know they went through some stuff too. I don’t want them to worry about me on top of everything else.”

“I have a feeling they worry about you anyway, especially now.”

Before Peter could respond, a familiar voice called out to them. “Well there’s my Spiderling!” Tony Stark said as he strode down the dock toward them, his metal arm glinting in the sun. “And Capsicle! I was wondering where you two chuckleheads had wandered off to.”

Steve smiled. “Hey Tony. Peter and I were just talking about you, among other things.”

“Oh yeah?” Tony responded as he lowered himself down to sit near them. “Anything you’d care to share with the class?”

Peter seemed hesitant to say anything. Steve gave Peter a pointed look as if to say, _Here’s your chance_. He moved to get up and leave the two of them to talk but Peter stopped him. “Oh, you don’t have to go, Captain Rogers.”

Steve looked between Peter’s hopeful expression and Tony, who was surprisingly quiet, but no less curious to see what Steve would do. “Tell you what, how ‘bout I sit over here?” as he gestured to the other side of the dock, “Gives you both a little space, but I’ll still be within earshot.” He moved to the other side, allowing Tony to shift closer to Peter. Steve watched Tony put his arm around the kid. Tony spoke in a soft tone that Steve had only ever heard him use with Peter and later with Morgan.

“So what’s been eatin’ ya, Underoos? I had a feeling something was up…”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> At first I wanted only Steve & Peter in this, but then I felt I couldn't write a story about Peter and not have Tony show up, however briefly.


End file.
